Improving PFCC-Providing Program Quality through Use of Online Professional Development with Integrated Coaching Support

• In Event: Professional Development

Abstract

Introduction: High-quality early care and education (ECE) requires a well-trained workforce with competence in child development and research-based practices (Institutes of Medicine & NRC, 2015). ECE teachers want support to provide high-quality care (Barnes et al., 2018 ), however we know that more than 40% of the U.S. workforce lacks foundational training (National Survey of Early Care and Education Project Team, 2019), and undereducated providers typically provide lower-quality care (Kirby et al., 2015). As States increasingly link publicly funded child care (PFCC) reimbursement to program quality rating and improvement system (QRIS) status (Greenberg et al., 2018), we must examine effective workforce training supports for PFCC programs to ensure sufficient access to quality care.

Methods: The VLS Momentum project provided uncredentialed teachers working in 30 PFCC-providing un- or low-rated ECE centers with online, research-based professional development and individualized coaching support between September 2019 and December 2020. The 21 VLS courses covering foundational ECE principles helped teachers earn the 120 clock hours necessary to apply for their Child Development Associate (CDA), while simultaneously helping them prepare a professional portfolio, practice for the CDA exam, and enhance their practical competency, all of which may contribute to increased quality ratings for programs (Figure 1)
We used independent samples t-tests to compare the QRIS ratings for programs that participated in the VLS Momentum with all other licensed ECE programs within the same urban county at two time points (August 2019 [pre-VLS Momentum] and October 2021 [10 months post-VLS Momentum]) to assess potential changes associated with VLS Momentum participation.

Results: 577 child care centers operated continuously within the county across the two time points. As shown in Figure 2, the average QRIS rating for centers in August 2019 was 1.06 (SD=1.66), which increased to 1.52 (SD=1.7) by October 2021, a statistically significant change, t(576)=-10.25 , p<.001. When comparing those centers that participated in VLS Momentum (M=1.18, SD=1.61) to those that did not (M=1.02, SD=1.66), we found no differences in QRIS rating in August 2019, t(693)=-.48, p=.63. However, in October 2021 centers that had participated in VLS Momentum (M=2.36, SD=1.71) showed significantly higher QRIS ratings than centers that had not (ΔM=1.36, SD=1.65), t(684)=-2.978, p=.003).

Implications: Findings provide some initial evidence that flexible, hybrid workforce training that 1) targets uncredentialed ECE professionals, and 2) pairs research-informed online learning with individualized coaching support may increase overall center program quality. This has critical implications for the quality of ECE that children and families in PFCC-providing centers receive, for sustaining a sufficient supply of PFCC, and potentially increasing teacher compensation in states where PFCC reimbursement is tied to QRIS level (Whitehead, 2017). Such models help to expand the different “on ramps” into ECE credentials and may help to ensure a diverse workforce reflective of the communities served (Sandstrom & Schilder, 2021).

Authors

• Sarah Naomi Lang, Ohio State University
  Presenting Author

• Erin Tebben, Ohio State University

• Rosalie Odean, Ohio State University

• Cynthia K. Buettner, Ohio State University